Saturday, April 28, 2007

Tabloid Politics Exposed

This week the Borough Council of Keyport, New Jersey passed an ordinance that would make smoking in your car, with anyone 17 years or younger, illegal. For now, the ordinance is a secondary offense and will cost violators $75. But this is just the beginning, of course.

According to the AP, Mayor Robert Bergen said:

"We're not trying to use the power of the motor vehicle system to punish people into behaving the way we want them to" (then why did you pass the law?)

he continues...

"This ordinance is really intended to be a positive public policy statement about the need to take care of our kids."

This public admission of the true intention of the law is proof of the absurd policies being pursued by our elected politicians. They are passing laws, restricting freedoms and legislating "common sense", in order to make a STATEMENT about how much they care about children.

If you care about children, then do something for Children!!! How about funding education for children? Enlighten us with society's collective wisdom rather than intruding into our lives with repressive laws. Our founding fathers would be disgusted to see the country they founded being manipulated by such short-sighted, narrow-minded, self-serving functionaries. These "laws" are an intellectual and moral failure!

Or, perhaps I am wrong. Maybe we should make candy, fast food, raised voices, television, and all "non-wholesome" or "deviant" thought illegal. Yeah... that's the ticket... Maybe our politicians should extend their hands into our homes with surveillance cameras to ensure that we are parenting according to their standards: obviously they know what is right and wrong.

PS: the legal smoking age in New Jersey is 19, so why should 18 year olds be exposed to second-hand smoke? Does anybody read these laws before they pass them?